As you would expect, most martial arts schools will include a range of self defence techniques against physical attacks and It’s often claimed that these techniques were developed over hundreds of years of combat “in the battlefield”. As true as this may be, the self defence situation you find yourself in today won’t necessarily resemble the battlefield of centuries ago. In todays battlefield the requirement to implement some form of “self defence” will range from minor verbal altercations to the most sickening episodes of life threatening violence.
The best way to approach these situations is to work to develop an ability to avoid placing ourselves in risky situations in the first place. This state of awareness (or self preservation) may come naturally to some but for others it may take some time to develop. In our school we begin to incorporate this concept at the start of our training. The first level of self defence is to use this situational awareness to place yourself at a safe distance from the perceived threat. If that’s not possible and we do find ourselves in circumstances that may become threatening, we should do what we can to de-escalate before it gets worse or just withdraw from the situation and walk away. If that fails and it gets to the point where we have to meet an attack head on, the Aikido ideology is always to step aside and blend with it and that can apply equally to both verbal or physical attacks.
Aikido is Budo, it is a “Do” (way) and some Aikidoka will practice it as a form of enhancing spiritual development and self improvement and may not “initially” pay that much attention to its self defence attributes. Others will study the mechanics of the techniques and will constantly be working on how the movements can be applied to self defence situations. The suitability of any martial art for ones self preservation will depend entirely on how you practice it. Before your study begins it’s a good idea to decide why exactly you want to do it and then make sure your training regime fits your own personal requirements and motivation.
Everyone will progress at their own pace but before Aikido can be effective in physical self-defence situations, the training for this has to become realistic. This means that our training partners have to attack us with “true intent”. As we start to learn new techniques in Aikido at beginners level the attacks are very rarely made with true intent. If your Aikido training is for self-defence purposes, then you have to move past this stage before Aikido can become effective. Always keeping in mind that even the term “true intent” is subjective. If we’re not careful the warm cosy dojo and the compliance of our training partners can lead us into a false sense of security. Real attackers don’t just stand there with their arm extended while you apply a technique on them.
“There are naysayers in the world at large who claim that studying the Way of Combat Strategy is futile when confronted with the reality of battle. In response to this claim, I teach that the warrior must practice his craft in such a way that it is practical and functional in all things and at all times, for this is the true Way of Combat Strategy”. Miyamoto Musashi, (translated by Alexander Bennett).
A common attack we learn to defend from in Aikido is the wrist grab. This dates back to times of the Samurai when the wrist would be grabbed to prevent you from drawing your sword. Since we don’t generally carry swords around these days, why do we still put so much emphasis on this type of attack? The simple answer is it’s a perfect starting point for learning basic Aikido techniques before moving on to learn the same defensive technique from other attacks, strikes, punches and holds. This makes it possible for the new student to confidently develop the basic Aikido principles before advancing to defences from attacks that are delivered with much more force and intent. As we progress, we learn to understand that if the wrist is grabbed in a genuine attack, it is more than likely to be quickly followed by some other action like a strike, hold or an attempt to drag you way. Once you learn to master the Aikido defences from wrist grabs you will begin to apply them just at the point in time when the wrist is being grabbed in addition to situations where the wrist is actually being held.
In our school we practice with the bokken (wooden sword). As far as self defence is concerned this may seem pointless because we can’t legally take the bokken out on the street and use it in self defence applications. However, the use of weapons is an invaluable training aid because this helps improve and correct our Aikido technique (waza), body movements (tai sabaki), distance (maai) and posture (shisei). The same can be said for suwari waza (techniques performed kneeling) which dates back to feudal Japan where it had some relevance when Japanese spent more time on their knees, especially in the presence of their Lords and Masters. Fights can very often end up on the ground but the movements in suwari waza are very different to the groundwork techniques you would find in Wrestling, Jujutsu or Judo. If you do end up on the floor suwari waza may or may not be useful but for Aikidoka the benefits of suwari waza practice is to strengthen the core and just like weapons practice, improve technique and correct form. If however, you can become so proficient at suwari waza that you are able to use it in real situations where you end up on the floor, well that’s an added bonus. One of the great outcomes of suwari waza practice is that; if you can move well on your knees you will be much more proficient in performing standing techniques (tachi waza).
Apart from a repertoire of Aikido techniques, “state of mind” will play a major part in how we deal with real life attacks both physical and verbal. Real threats and attacks can have a catastrophic effect on the state of our composure. This will vary greatly from person to person and will intensify when weapons are involved. When under attack, our heart rate will increase and we will experience an adrenaline rush. It is likely that we will encounter a reduction of motor skills and our peripheral vision will narrow. Hyperventilation can occur causing dizziness or even fainting. Our ability to make decisions may become impaired and in some cases we can simply freeze up altogether. On the positive side this chemical release that happens as our body prepares itself to deal with the threat may also improve our pain barrier, sharpen our vision and can be utilised to speed our reactions and enhance awareness.
These are all symptoms of chronic stress or our “fight or flight response” that can be encountered under conditions of threat or fear. Therefore, our state of mind will play an essential role in the outcome of any self-defence situation. Self defence training has to be geared to account for this. So, consider this: Will you still be able to fight and apply all the fancy techniques you learnt in the dojo when your legs go all weak and wobbly? Will you keep your composure when under attack?
“Everyone has a plan till they get punched in the mouth!” (Mike Tyson).
We train to develop the state of “mushin” (no mind). This is the level we aim for and have to achieve before Aikido can become effective in certain self-defence situations. The reality is that only repetition and perfection of the techniques under pressure in the dojo will place us in a position where we would be able to react and execute them without thinking about them. This will almost certainly take many years of practice. So, as we begin our Aikido journey our emphasis is on the “Art” both physically and as a spiritual discipline, on learning how to understand our limitations and on the development of our values and behaviour within ourselves.